Hilary Mercer was appointed as Vice President Pennsylvania Chemicals on August 1, 2017.

Hilary was previously responsible for the Shell worldwide portfolio of integrated Gas Projects spanning Onshore and Floating LNG, Regassification and other gas related projects. She served as Executive Director for Shell’s Prelude project in, Geoje Island, South Korea and was instrumental in leading the project to successful sail-away.

Hilary joined Shell in the UK as a Maintenance Engineer at Stanlow refinery in 1987. In 1994, she moved to the Netherlands where she worked in concept engineering developing small scale LNG offerings. In 1997, she was appointed Lead Mechanical Engineer for Construction in Oman, after which she worked for Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd., first as the Commercial Manager for the project and later as Construction Manager and Project Director. She was appointed Technical Director for Iraq South Gas Venture in 2009, supported the utility project within Pearl GTL in 2010, and served as LNG Project Director at Arrow Energy where she grew the company from start-up to a competent operating and development organization.

Hilary has a degree in Engineering Science from Oxford University, is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and is actively engaged in the promotion of engineering as a profession both within and outside Shell including encouraging greater female participation in the industry.

Senator Camera Bartolotta brings an entrepreneurial spirit and a wealth of real-world experience to her job representing residents of Beaver, Greene and Washington counties. A longtime resident of Monongahela, she was elected to her first term representing the 46th Senatorial District in 2014.

Prior to being elected to the Senate, she opened the first quick-lube business in the Mon Valley, Duke of Oil, which has been providing quality, affordable service since 1988. She also produced “La Dolce Vita,” a cooking show that aired on WPXI-TV and PCNC.

In the Senate, Camera’s committee assignments reflect the main concerns of the communities she represents, including the need for quality, family-sustaining jobs and smaller government. She currently serves as Chair of the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, which examines proposals to consolidate services and agencies and make state government operate more effectively and efficiently.

She serves as Vice Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, and as a member of the Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee; Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee; Senate Transportation Committee; and Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee.

Camera also co-chairs the Senate Gas and Oil Caucus, a bipartisan legislative body that focuses on issues impacting the gas and oil industry with the goal of promoting policies resulting in a positive future for constituents, the business community and state economy. In addition, she serves as co-chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Cystic Fibrosis Caucus , which is designed to help raise awareness of the condition and advance policies to help patients.

In her first two years in office, Camera authored several new laws, including legislation to protect Pennsylvania’s fresh water supplies by ensuring the safe use of treated mine water in oil and gas operations; authorize the operation of Transportation Network Companies like Uber and Lyft in all 67 counties; and strengthen penalties for motorists who injure workers and emergency responders in construction zones. She also introduced a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution to limit the future growth in state government spending.

Camera is an active member of the community she has called home for nearly three decades. She is involved with local chapters of the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the United Way Board of Directors, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Camera is also a member of the Saint Damien of Molokai Catholic Church.

Family is a great source of pride in Camera’s life and motivates her civic engagement. Her daughter, Devin, is an award-winning news reporter, producer and anchor in Baltimore. Her son, Dante, is pursuing a career in the military. Her stepdaughter, Danielle, and son-in-law, Matthew, are successful business owners in Florida. Her stepson, Damon, is a steamfitter and lives in Belle Vernon with his wife, Laurie.

Dennis M. Davin Secretary - Department of Community and Economic DevelopmentPennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development

Sajjad is currently working for SABIC as Senior Project Manager, Global Projects Execution. Sajjad formally worked for SABIC projects & operations for 15 years at various capacities. Sajjad also formally worked for Bechtel as Chemicals Group Head on multiple projects & project Manager on PTTGC Ohio based Ethane Cracker & Derivative Project. Sajjad worked as Associate Director for PPG Industries, Director of Technology Development for Air Liquide / Lurgi, Manager, Project Development & Capital Portfolio Management for Suncor, Canada.

Robert Richard is senior vice president of Major Enterprise Projects for DTE Energy, a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Richard is responsible for major projects in Power Generation, Distribution, Renewable, Nuclear and Gas Midstream platforms- including the $1Billion East China Township Natural Gas Power Plant Project in Michigan. This assignment leverages his experience as an operating Executive in Gas Midstream, Power Generation and the Gas Utility of DTE Energy.

Morgan K. O’Brien is president and chief executive officer of Peoples Natural Gas Company LLC, affiliated utilities serving approximately 740,000 customers in southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky. In that capacity, he is responsible for the company’s strategic, operational and financial performance.

Since joining Peoples Natural Gas, O’Brien has reestablished the 100 plus year old company in western Pennsylvania. The company has significantly grown its employment in the region and has brought nearly 300 new jobs back to the region and created a high performing Customer Service Center in Pittsburgh. In addition, he has orchestrated the largest infrastructure improvement and modernization project in the company’s history. The company has committed to a multi-year multi-billion dollar investment program to meet the growing energy needs of the region and that will dramatically improve the environmental impacts to the region and in particular the quality of air in the region. In May 2011, Peoples TWP, formerly T.W. Phillips Gas and Oil Co, was purchased and became a sister company to Peoples Natural Gas. And in December 2013, Peoples acquired Equitable Gas. And most recently, Peoples acquired Delta Gas in Kentucky. With these acquisitions, Peoples is now the largest natural gas distribution company in Pennsylvania and serves thousands of customers in West Virginia and Kentucky as well.

O’Brien has positioned Peoples as a true community partner and champion. The company invests and partners with many organizations that drive economic development and improve the quality of life in the region. Under his leadership, Peoples’ mission is to make the lives of all its customers better. To that end, its vision of going above and beyond customer expectations is now becoming a key part of the company’s day to day operations. This means exceeding expectations on every phone call and service call, and being more compassionate with customers who have challenges affording their energy bills. This culture is consistently on display as Peoples’ employees volunteer their time and resources for charitable causes throughout the year.

Prior to joining Peoples Natural Gas in February 2010, O’Brien served as President and CEO of Duquesne Light Holdings from September 2001 to January 2010. At Duquesne Light, O’Brien refocused the company as a solidly performing electricity utility and community partner. O’Brien joined Duquesne Light in 1991, holding several senior executive positions before becoming CEO. Prior to his tenure at Duquesne, he served in various management positions at PNC Bank and major accounting firms.

A Pittsburgh native, O’Brien earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and master’s degree in Taxation from Robert Morris University. O’Brien is active in civic organizations throughout the region, including the Board of Trustees of his alma mater. He also serves on many boards, some which include the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, The Pittsburgh Foundation, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – Western PA Chapter. Morgan is also very engaged as a Board member for the United Way of Allegheny County and Chairs the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce.

O’Brien and his wife, Kathy, have four children and live in downtown Pittsburgh.

David Ruppersberger is the President of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA), an affiliate of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. The PRA markets the benefits of conducting business in southwestern Pennsylvania to companies already in the region and around the world that are growing, relocating or expanding. Before joining the Conference, Mr. Ruppersberger served as the Director of Joint Economic Development Initiatives for Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh from 2013 to 2015. Prior to that post, Mr. Ruppersberger served as president and CEO of The Technology Collaborative, a technology-based economic development organization created by the merger of the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse and the Robotics Foundry in January 2005. Mr. Ruppersberger joined the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse team in 2000 and became president & CEO in 2003. Mr. Ruppersberger has been active in the Pittsburgh high tech community for over 30 years. His experience includes senior management positions with Unisys, Symbolics, and Carnegie Group, Inc., CEO positions for two high tech start- ups in the Pittsburgh area, and a partnership in a retail business. He has served on many local boards and is an Executive Fellow in the Center for Economic Development at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. Mr. Ruppersberger has a degree in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh.

Chad M. Riley, PE is the Chief Executive Officer of The Thrasher Group, a leading multi-disciplinary firm providing architecture, engineering, and field services such as environmental consulting, survey, and construction management throughout the Mid-Atlantic. A large portion of Riley’s career has been focused on the land development of projects including industrial parks and delivering strategically-designed sites for a multitude of manufacturing and commercial clients. His passion for bringing economic growth to the tristate area of West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania and Ohio, has made major impacts on the success of his clients’ endeavors. To date, he has been heavily involved in over 20 major economic development projects, and continues to keep a pulse on the influx of growth in the Appalachian region.

He studied engineering at Fairmont State University. Working at every level within the company, he quickly rose to leading areas of business operations and was named partner within eight years. Riley was named CEO of Thrasher in 2017, overseeing nine offices in seven states.

Rick DeCesar, Vice President of AECOM’s Midstream & Pipelines services sector for North America, is based in the Pittsburgh area. After leading the firm’s successful growth in the Appalachian Basin, today Rick leads capital oil & gas programs throughout North America. With a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the Oregon Graduate Institute, Rick is an active member of the Marcellus Shale Coalition.

As founder and president of CEF is William Siderewicz has been actively involved in the construction of IPP electricity production facilities for 37 years. To date, he has been involved in the completion of 35 separate IPP projects totalling 14,350 MW of generation capacity. By the fall of 2017, CEF will have effectively brought $ 4.5 Billion of new private investment to northern Ohio. Current projects include the 960 MW Oregon Clean Energy Center (Oregon, Ohio) has been under construction since November 2014 and will be fully operational in May 2017. A similar 940 MW gas-fired plant broke ground in April 2016 and will be in production in June 2018. Advanced development is now underway to complete two additional new gas-fired facilities: The Trumbull Energy Center (940 MW) and the Oregon Energy Center (955 MW). These two new facilities, located in Lordstown, OH and Oregon, OH, respectively, will be operational in summer 2020.

Kevin Reimer is Director of Construction Projects for PSEG, New Jersey’s largest provider of electric and gas services- owning and operating a diverse fleet of power plants with approximately 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. Kevin possesses over 35 years of experience in all phases of Construction and Project Management. He has demonstrated competencies in managing all types of power plant and private sector construction. Kevin has delivered Outage and major Capital Projects on time and within budget throughout the entire PSEG system for the past 25 years.

Jason Hamman is the President and Founder of The Hamman Consulting Group. Established in February 2013, The Hamman Consulting Group provides a full range of location advisory, site selection and economic development services to private and public sector clients. Jason’s work with private sector clients includes site selection and location analysis, identification and acquisition of tax incentives and grants and real estate brokerage services. He also works extensively with economic development organizations to prepare economic development strategic plans, identify target industry sectors, provide business attraction and lead generation services, conduct market/feasibility studies, prepare economic impact analyses, grant writing and GIS mapping. From to 2008 to 2013, Jason was a Senior Consultant with Silverlode Consulting Corp. in Cleveland. During his tenure at Silverlode, Jason worked with a variety of private sector clients, including a publically traded iron-ore mining company, a global leader in welding products, a market leading food processing equipment manufacturer, an aviation MRO company, a multi-national call center operator and a large healthcare organization, as well as many public sector clients, including multi- county regional economic development organizations, large cities, and rural counties. Prior to joining Silverlode, Jason was a member of the research department at Team NEO, an 18- county regional economic development organization representing Northeast Ohio. His work at Team NEO supported business attraction and expansion efforts by providing customized analysis of economic indicators and demographic data, labor market and industry analysis, economic impact modeling, and GIS mapping. Jason also worked as an Economic Development Specialist for the Lorain County Community Development Department. In March 2018, Jason founded The Hamman Realty Group, Inc., an Ohio based commercial real estate brokerage. Jason earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Cleveland State University. Jason has been a featured speaker at Area Development's Consultants Forum (Jacksonville FL, Dec. 2012), Expansion Management's Roundtable Series (Tucson, AZ, Oct. 2012), the Northeast Indiana Economic Development Forum (Sep. 2014), Columbus ED 411 (Dec. 2014), the U.S. Ethane Exports & Ethylene Markets (Houston, TX, Oct. 2014), the Utica Summit (Canton, OH, Oct. 2015), the Mid-America Economic Development Council (Chicago, IL, Dec. 2015), the NGL Feedstocks & Derivatives (Houston, TX, Feb. 2016), the SiteLink Forum (Lynchburg, VA, Nov. 2016), the North Alabama Industrial Dev. Assoc. Annual meeting (Huntsville, AL, Nov. 2017) and the Ohio Econ. Dev. Assoc. (2011-2017) on the topic of Real Estate Development and Reuse.

Ed is with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and leads Business Development for the IBEW in PA, NY, NJ and Delaware. Ed works with thirty-six local offices to align the IBEW’s wide range of electrical construction and maintenance services provided by thousands of electrical contractors and more than 50,000 professional electrical workers to the needs of existing and future clients. Ed was previously with the IBEW’s Education department delivering training to the local offices in his region. Prior to that, Ed was the VP of Operations with Adventace, a worldwide sales operation’s consulting and training organization. Ed spent the first 15 years of his professional working life as a commercial pilot.

Dr. Christopher M. Reber has devoted his entire 37-year career to higher education. He is currently President of Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) near Pittsburgh, PA, where he is leading initiatives supporting student-centered learning, enrollment management, partnerships, pathways, diversity, and assessment. Dr. Reber has championed the development of nationally distinctive CCBC High School Academies; more than 600 articulation agreements with four-year colleges and universities nationwide; and new program development that addresses high priority workforce and economic development needs throughout western Pennsylvania. Under his leadership, CCBC has become known as a tristate workforce development leader in a rapidly emerging economic and industrial transformation. CCBC was named one of America’s Top 150 Community Colleges by The Aspen Institute and selected twice as one of Pennsylvania Business Central’s Top 100 Organizations during his tenure. CCBC is also an Achieving the Dream Leader College in recognition of the institution’s student success outcomes and has gained regional and national recognition for the College’s distinctive programs in Aviation Sciences; Nursing and Allied Health; and Process Technology, among others. Under Dr. Reber’s guidance, CCBC was selected as one of 44 colleges and universities in America and the only community college in Pennsylvania to provide federal Pell funding for high school students participating in dual enrollment programs. Before joining CCBC, Dr. Reber served for 12 years as Executive Dean of Venango College of Clarion University, and for 18 years at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, as the Chief Development, University Relations and Alumni Relations Officer and Chief Student Affairs Officer. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College, a master’s degree from Bowling Green State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

Charlie is annually named to "Who’s Who in Energy" by American City Business Journals, and is a national Judge for the Oil & Gas Awards. He is a regular speaker, moderator, panelist or conference leader with respect to energy topics and a judge for energy technology competitions. Following his serving as a member of the 2014-2015 Transition Team for then newly-elected Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Charlie became recognized as a leading critic of Governor Wolf’s annual proposals to make Pennsylvania the only state in the nation with both an impact tax and a severance tax on unconventional natural gas. His energy-related editorials and articles have been published in Marcellus Drilling News and Natural Gas Now as well as his own firm’s energy newsletter.

As a founding Board member and officer of the non-profit Pittsburgh Energy Innovation Center Institute, Charlie has spearheaded a number of energy-related initiatives, including workforce development training involving some of the largest exploration and production companies in the Marcellus/Utica region, and also with respect to energy construction jobs for projects such as the new Shell Petrochemical Complex in Beaver County, PA. Through a second non-profit that Charlie co-founded, the Huddle Up for Kids Foundation, Charlie works with leading energy or energy-related companies such as Chevron, Shell Chemical and MSA Safety, and retired NFL pro football players to raise money for children’s charities in the Appalachian Basin.

CEO and President & Founder DxT3,Inc. a new company which provides Digital Transformation application software and professional services utilizing the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) enabling technologies applied to the Oil & Gas and Energy industries.

Chet Mroz is a recognized leader in the global industrial automation industry. The depth and breadth of Mr. Mroz’s experience and technical knowledge, as well as a result-based leadership style and capabilities, has helped numerous companies profitably expand their business globally.

Chet has over four decades of experience in project, business, and plant operations management working as a project manager, interim executive and consultant. He has led businesses for Mobil Oil, Foxboro (now Schneider), Texas Instruments, ABB and Yokogawa in the United States, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Currently, Mr. Mroz is also a board Advisor to Amerapex Corporation providing Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management Services, Seismic Services and Non-Destructive Testing services to the Oil & Gas Industries.

More recently, Mr. Mroz was the former President and CEO of Yokogawa Corporation of America from 2011 to 2015. Yokogawa Corporation of America is the North American operating unit of Yokogawa Electric Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, a global market leading automation manufacturer and provider of automation projects, instrumentation, analyzer, systems integration services, field support services, and advanced software products and services with 1000 employees and a network of sales channel partners in North America.

Prior to Yokogawa and from 2016, Mr. Mroz was an independent business strategy consultant, interim executive, and acquisition advisor to over 20 start-ups, ranging from small to large firms in the measurement, industrial automation, software products, process equipment and engineering consulting and construction businesses serving the oil & gas, chemical, energy and manufacturing markets.

Mr. Mroz holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cleveland State University and attended advanced university programs for finance, management, and process technologies. Mr. Mroz is a member of the GPSA Midstream Association.